Groundhogs
What puts groundhogs in a class of their own is their knack for combining daytime gardening with heavy-duty excavation, leaving behind a squat, grizzled body and unmistakable architecture. You spot them by their low-slung waddle, tracks showing four toes on the front feet and five on the back, and those ten to twelve inch wide tunnel entrances with a massive pile of fresh dirt out front. That distinct setup keeps you from confusing them with moles pushing up turf ridges or small ground squirrels digging tiny two inch holes.
When they move in under a deck or start clearing out your vegetable patch, the trouble begins with structural settling and missing crops. You can keep them out by burying heavy wire mesh with an outward L-shaped foot, but handling the animals themselves is another story entirely. State wildlife laws strictly govern trapping and often ban unauthorized relocation, while potential rabies exposures mean you call a doctor instead of trying to catch a sick animal yourself, and any serious structural damage means it is time to bring in a licensed wildlife control operator.
